Question 1

True or false: This pulsar was used as the cover art for Joy Division's album 'Unknown Pleasures'.

Accepted Answer

True. The iconic black-and-white radio wave image on the album cover is actually a stacked plot of PSR B1919+21's pulses.

Question 2

True or false: The pulses from PSR B1919+21 are caused by the star's rapid rotation and magnetic field.

Accepted Answer

True. The rotating neutron star emits beams of radiation from its magnetic poles, which sweep past Earth like a lighthouse.

Question 3

True or false: PSR B1919+21 pulses at a rate of exactly one pulse per second.

Accepted Answer

False. Its period is about 1.337 seconds, not exactly one second, though it was remarkably stable for a new discovery.

Question 4

True or false: The pulsar's signal was initially dismissed as terrestrial interference by all astronomers.

Accepted Answer

False. While initially puzzling, the team, led by Anthony Hewish, confirmed it was extraterrestrial after ruling out human-made sources.

Question 5

True or false: PSR B1919+21 was the first pulsar ever discovered by astronomers.

Accepted Answer

True. Discovered in 1967 by Jocelyn Bell Burnell, it was originally nicknamed LGM-1 for 'little green men' due to its precise pulses.

Question 6

True or false: The pulsar has a companion star that occasionally eclipses its radio signal.

Accepted Answer

False. PSR B1919+21 is an isolated pulsar with no known stellar companion, so no eclipses occur.

Question 7

True or false: PSR B1919+21 is located in the constellation Vulpecula, the Fox.

Accepted Answer

True. Its coordinates place it in Vulpecula, a faint northern constellation, far from the Milky Way's plane.

Question 8

True or false: PSR B1919+21 emits its pulses in visible light as well as radio waves.

Accepted Answer

False. It is only detectable in radio wavelengths; no optical or X-ray pulsations have been observed from this object.

Pulsar PSR B1919+21 Trivia Questions